


What Would I Be Without You?

by Sinclaironfire



Category: Toy Story (Movies)
Genre: Always trust Bo, Anxiety, As violent as toys dying can be, Bo becomes a badass, Bo goes to Japan, Bo leaves, Bo lives a sheltered life, Body Horror, Body Modification, Body Worship, Buzz Lightyear is a good bro, Buzz and Jessie worry, Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Violence, Declarations Of Love, Doppelganger, F/M, Fear, Fear of Death, Fear of Discovery, Feelings of Helplessness, Fix-It of Sorts, I Reject Canon, I Will Write Whatever I Want, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, Jessie is a good bro, Kidnapping, Major Character Injury, Major character death - Freeform, My Hot Take on Toy Story 4, Never trust your double, Slow Burn, To save her husband, Tons of Doppelgangers, Toy Story 4 Never Happened, Unresolved Tension, Woody gets kidnapped, Woody mourns, Woody suffers, but it's worth it, fear about the future, it takes a while, the slowest of burns, uncertainty about the future
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-23
Updated: 2020-04-11
Packaged: 2020-05-16 18:42:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 18
Words: 16,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19323895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sinclaironfire/pseuds/Sinclaironfire
Summary: The problem with being a collector's item was that someone was always trying to collect you.When Woody is kidnapped and sold to a buyer unknown, it will take the courage of a fragile porcelain doll to save him and bring him home. That is if Bo doesn't shatter before rescuing him.





	1. Fragile

**Author's Note:**

> So, I had this idea for Toy Story 4 way back in 2017 and the more I played around with the idea, the more I liked it. The new movie, while it did a lot of wonderful things, I just didn't like it as I hoped I would. So, when you don't like a movie, there's only one thing to do. Reject canon and write the fic idea you have literally two years ago.

 

The first thing that Bo Peep ever knew was that she was fragile.

While she and half a dozen other lamps were being put up for sale in the nursery store, a careless clerk dropped one. The other Bo lamp shattered into a million pieces. It was the first death that Bo Peep ever saw. She held her crook a little tighter as the other Bo was swept up and promptly trashed. After that, Bo Peep feared the day she would be shattered. Where every other doll and toy dreamed of the day of being taken home and admired by a loving family, Bo Peep hoped to survive.

When an expecting couple did pick her up, Bo Peep thought she was done for. Children, as she had seen through the store’s window, were wild, noisy, and destroyed toys the second they got their hands on them. Life spent in a child’s nursery felt like a death sentence.

The entire ride to her new home, Bo Peep feared the fate that would eventually befall her. Shattering looked terribly painful. She imagined all the ways that a child would remove her from her stand and send her shattering just like that other poor doll she saw die. The second the car pulled into the driveway, Bo had it made up in her mind that she would NOT die like that doll. She would run away.

She had to run away.

The family took her inside with all the other packages they bought. Bo was jostled. Finally, the family removed her from her package and her wrapping paper. She was placed precariously on a tall dresser. The woman who had bought her, who was heavily pregnant, hadn’t placed her all the way towards the back. Instead, she remained on the edge. Then, the woman started to gasp and moan. She shouted to her husband, “The baby’s coming!”

Bo was forgotten in the hustle of the incoming baby. She was far too close to the ledge. Bo tried to pull herself up but the second the couple slammed the door, she was toppled forward. She saw her very short life flashed before her eyes. She didn’t want to die like this. She wanted to live!

The floor looked so hard and painful. But instead of the cold hard ground, she fell on something soft. Under her frills, a set of beautiful brown eyes met hers. Carefully, she stood up and the owner of the eyes got up with her. He was tall, dark, and handsome but an old fashion cowboy doll. She’d seen a lot of toys in the nursery shop and she couldn’t recall a single one that had his kind of stitching or had a genuine pull string.

“Thank you for saving me,” she said sincerely.

The cowboy tipped his hat to her and smiled. Her heart fluttered. He had a great smile.

“The name’s Bo Peep. Do I get to know the name of my hero?”

To her surprise and pleasure, she made him fluster. How cute! He opened his mouth to speak and as loud and as clear as a bell, his program voice shouted, “SOMEONE’S POISONED THE WATER HOLE!”

The cowboy clasped his hands over his mouth. It was too loud, even for him. Bo found it charming. “Are you always on alert, cowboy?”

He tried to speak again. “YOU’RE MY FAVORITE DEPUTY!” his voice shouted. The toy looked as though he was on the verge of dying of embarrassment.

“What’s the matter? Is everything okay with your pull string?”

Her cowboy shook his head. He pointed to his back and made a series of jerking noises. She frowned. “I’m sorry I don’t know what you’re asking.”

He pantomimed his message. His string? It hadn’t been used in decades. His voice? Stuck on the silly sayings he was meant to say. His problem? He was stuck in a loop and he couldn’t get anything to work. Bo nodded. “Far be it from me to let you suffer.”

She grabbed his string and pulled thirteen times. Each single time, the cowboy doll shouted something new until, “THANK YOU!” his voice came through, free of his programmed sayings. “Sorry! That was loud, I’m loud. Uh, the name’s Sheriff Woody. Hi.”

“So, I gathered.”

Again, she made him fluster. She liked him. “How long have you been here, Sheriff?”

“Uh, not long. A couple of weeks.”

“Where do you come from? Nick’s?”

“I’m from David’s mother’s place, actually,” he responded. “I’ve been there for a few weeks.”

“David’s mother’s? I don’t know that store.”

“No, ah, David is my kid. Well, he’s not my kid anymore. He’s having a kid and I’m his kid’s toy.”

“David, huh? What’s the wife’s name?”

Woody shrugged. “Diane? I’ve only heard him call her honey or darling.”

“I think it’s cute.”

“What?”

She leaned forward and smiled at him. “That he calls her darling.”

Woody swore he felt himself blushing. “I think so too!”

She and the Sheriff chatted long into the day and long into the night. He helped her back up to the dresser. As he climbed down, Bo began to think that life in the nursery wouldn’t be so bad. Not if there were handsome Sheriffs around.


	2. Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bo experiences two kinds of love: familial and romantic.

Life as a nursery lamp went better than Bo expected. The newborn baby, Andy, was a sweetheart. Oh, Bo knew that was what everyone said about their babies but Andy was an absolute darling. He hardly ever cried and never once did he attempt to grab her. At night, when Mrs. Davis read stories to him, Andy looked like a little angel. It was her favorite time with Andy. She was able to be close to him without fear. It was also when she was able to look at Woody. Those soft stolen glances said everything.

To no one’s surprise, Woody and Bo soon became close. They struck some people as odd. Woody was the undisputed favorite of Andy and Bo? A lamp decoration. She was incapable of playtime like Woody was. And yet, one fateful day, four-year-old Andy proved the entire room wrong. One day, his tiny little hands made the climb up the dresser and grabbed ahold of Bo Peep.

She frozen both in terror and in her naturalized state. Sher knew it was too good to be true. She lasted four years and now, a toddler was going to get her killed.

“Bo!” he laughed and giggled and he hugged like he hugged Woody. In that moment, Bo knew two things. 1. She was loved and 2. She loved Andy dearly.

The playtime with Andy didn’t last long. Mrs. Davis came and pulled her out of his reach, citing that she was not a toy, but a lovely decoration meant to be admired and never taken off her stand. Andy threw a terrible fit at the loss of his doll. He was consoled by his mother and taken out of the room. As soon as they left, the room exploded with activity. They preschool toys were sure that she would have been killed. Woody was the first person to reach her at the dresser.

“Bo!” he held her in a tight embrace.

“I’m alright, Sheriff,” she smiled.

Tentative relief washed over him. “I thought –“

“You’re cute when you care.” He was actually cute when he did anything. Like when he made sure all the toys were in the nursery before bedtime or how he always helped a toy change their batteries when they were going low. Woody cared a lot about other toys. He was kind and in a world where toys were discarded as quickly as they were bought, kindness was highly attractive feature. Bo put her arms around him. She leaned in and softly she kissed him.

“I…uh…um…” he stuttered and muttered.

“You’re even cuter when you’re speechless.”

“Does this mean we’re dating?” Woody gasped, finally finding his voice.

They were and stayed that way for years. Most of the toys in the room didn’t know what to think of them as a couple. Sure, they were a beautiful couple and they made each other happy, but it was the fact that Bo was porcelain. She was bound to break and chip and eventually die unlike Woody who was the far sturdier toy.

“Do you really want to put yourself in that kind of situation?” the mobile above Andy’s bed questioned Woody. “She’ll break one day.”

“We’ll face that day if it ever comes,” Woody shrugged, pretending not to care. “I love her.”

For those who thought Woody was making a mistake, there were those who thought Bo was making one too. It didn’t escape the room’s attention that Woody was old. It was the little things that tipped them off. When Andy’s parents bought a new sound system, Woody was enthused.

“Wow! I remember the old Crosley one in the den. It didn’t look anything like this.”

No one in the room knew what a Crosley radio was. No one had heard of one. One of the toys, a stuffed lamb that Andy one day brought to the library, found a dictionary. A Crosley radio was made in the 30s. It added fuel to the fire that Bo was dating a relic.

“Toys like that don’t last long,” whispered the Troll dolls. “They go straight to the dump or end up rotting away on a shelf.”

“Thank you for that mental image,” Bo answered, pretending not to care. “But Woody and I are just fine. I love him.”

It was difficult to ignore the whispers and the looks. Bo and Woody decided they needed to talk. There were too many worries and unanswered questions. Hidden away underneath Andy’s bed, they cuddle and spoke.

“You know what they’re saying about us, right?” Bo started.

“That I’m old and you’re practically made of glass?”

She nodded but wasn’t sure what else to say. Woody was in the same position. It was he who broke the silence. “I am old, Bo.”

“How old?”

He shrugged. “I…I don’t know. I remember some things from way back then but they’re all fuzzy.”

“What’s the first thing you remember?”

Woody thought about it for a minute. “Being built, I think?”

“You think?”

“It’s complicated,” Woody finished. He looked at her and sighed, “I understand if you don’t want to be with me…There are a lot of toys in better shape than me. They’ll last longer.”

Bo snorted and laughed. “Honey, do you see me?’ She stretched herself out on his lap. “Porcelain. Cold, delicate porcelain. All it takes is one crack to sever my body.”

“Darling, this isn’t your usual romantic lines.”

“I’m getting there,” she winked. “Did you thought about me breaking when we first got together?”

“No…”

“What were you thinking of?”

“How glad I was to see you,” Woody wistfully sighed. “That I could be with you.”

“Uh-huh and what else?” Bo grinned.

“That I never wanted to leave you.”

“I thought the same thing,” she kissed him. “I can’t help being porcelain anymore than you can help your age, cowboy. If it doesn’t disturb you and it doesn’t disturb me, then who cares what everyone else thinks? I love you, Woody. Always have, always will.”

“I love you too, Bo.”


	3. All We Have

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Love endures

 

It wasn’t always easy being Bo’s beau or Woody’s paramour.

For a room full of toys, not everyone was as cuddly as a teddy bear. Jealously ran deep and tempers ran hot. Bo was the undisputed beauty of the room and Woody was Andy’s favorite. Together, they were a powerhouse of a couple. They were also the perfect target for the rumor mill. It seemed like every week there was some new vicious rumor designed to tear them apart. The first day after they brushed off the questions about whether they were right for each other, a rumor came out over night. Apparently, Bo was having a scandalous affair with one of the Troll dolls and Woody was getting to push her off the dresser.

Bo found it hilarious. She laughed when she heard it. Woody on the other hand? He was absolutely distraught.

“Who would say something like that?!”

“Honey, it’s just a rumor,” Bo consoled.

“It’s a hurtful rumor!” Woody sulked.

Bo twirled her crook in her hands and pulled him over before he went into a frenzy. “You’re as soft-hearted as you are hard-headed. I know you would never hurt me.”

“You know that, I know that but, darling, that’s just not right.”

“Hey, we’ll get through this. Okay? You and me.”

“Okay…”

The week after that delightfully chaotic rumor, a new one sprang up like a daisy. Apparently, Woody was seeing the neighbor’s Barbie doll and Bo was getting ready to light him on fire. Woody barely paid attention to the rumor and dismissed it as it was, a rumor. Bo on the other hand was going around the room interrogating people.

“Who started it?!”

“Darling, it’s just a rumor,” Woody consoled.

“It’s an awful rumor!” she growled.

He snorted and wrapped his arms around her. Soft kisses went up and down her neck. “You know that I love you, right?”

“I do,” Bo answered. It wasn’t like she ever doubted his love. One look from him and she knew that she could never love anyone else. She couldn’t explain it. Sure, there were other toys out there that she could have as and would love her but with Woody, where everyone else wrote her off as a delicate porcelain doll, she felt like she was made out of titanium. But she couldn’t help but wonder why he stuck around with her. Andy’s mom was right. She wasn’t a plaything but a decoration to be admired. It couldn’t have been too fun for him to constantly sneak around to spend time with her once Andy was asleep.

“Woody, honey?” she asked one cold December night after everyone went to bed. “Why are you with me?”

It was a simple yet complex question and Woody thought that it deserved an equally simple yet complex answer.

“Because you love me.”

She thought his answer was charming and clever. A cute way to divert her worries but it couldn’t be farther from it. What he said was the truth. He loved her because of she, in what he thought was very questionable judgement, loved him. The years Woody spent, bouncing from house to house, weren’t conducive to his self-esteem. Wherever he was placed, it was due to an afterthought. His creator? Passed him on as soon as he was done making him. He was passed around so often that he didn’t know what owner number he was on. But then came David. The second David held him Woody knew that he was loved.

But like all children, David grew up and Woody was once more put away. If it weren’t for Andy, Woody didn’t know where he would be. Then came along Bo. She fell, he caught her and then, like magic, she loved him. She loved him when his voice box didn’t work, she loved him when he worried, she even loved him when he was scared or panicked.

Bo loved Woody without condition.

To say he was love-starved was an understatement. Bo had plenty of love to give and for some bizarre reason, she found him suitable to give her love to. She, who was kind and caring and smart and funny and breathtakingly beautiful, thought that he was worthy enough to be by her side. Woody was floored. Despite his age, his flaws, his _everything_ , she actually loved him.

Woody loved her with all his heart.

And as fate would have it, he would soon need her love for David was killed in a car crash just days later. The day David died a piece of Woody went with him. Andy was allowed to bring one toy to the funeral and no one was surprised that it was Woody. While they were away, the minutes ticked by at an agonizingly slow pace. Bo worried. She felt awful when she saw another doll die, she couldn’t imagine the pain of losing a child like Woody did. Her fears were confirmed when Mrs. Davis and Andy returned from the funeral. They were both vulnerable and that night Mrs. Davis kept her son close by. Woody was left in Andy’s room. He was on his spot on the bed when Bo made the climb up to him.

“Woody? Honey?”

He didn’t look like himself but rather like a marionette whose strings were cut. His eyes were dark and he seemed to be a million miles away. Bo sat down next to him. Woody heaved a heavy sigh. Bo took off his hat. She wrapped her arms around him.

“It’s okay,” she whispered to him. “I’m here.”

As if he was the one made of delicate porcelain, she laid him down next to her.

“You shouldn’t be,” he whispered back. “Diane and Andy…they’ll see us.”

“I don’t care,” Bo defiantly replied. “Woody, I love you.”

“I love you too, Bo.”

Woody did make her feel like she was made out of titanium but that didn’t mean she didn’t know how to be soft as a feather. They held each other throughout the night. At the end of the day, kids came and went but the love that Woody and Bo shared was all they had.


	4. Changes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things change like life, people, and relationships.

Things in Andy’s room changed drastically after David died and, in Bo’s humble opinion, it wasn’t for the better. Woody became more protective. Everyone needed to be protected from the harms of the world. The toys needed him more, Andy needed him more, and as Bo found out, she was often put on the back burner. It wasn’t done on purpose but it still hurt nonetheless.

Woody would spend all his time and energy saving others and helping those who didn’t know how to take care of themselves that by the time Andy was asleep, the most Woody could do was barely make the climb up the dresser to be with her.

It wasn’t what she wanted in a relationship at all. She had needs just like any other woman and if Woody was too busy to see them, she would have to take matters into her own hands. Her crook was an accessory, but she found it to be a useful in getting his attention. A quick tug in her direction reminded him of who she was, how much she loved him, and most importantly, the fun they could have together.

It gave her endless joy to know that after years of being together, she could make him fluster. It was a feather in her cap that their relationship still had that spark. Woody, eventually, got the message. She needed him for both emotional and physical support. The toys could look after themselves while they stole away from a few precious moments of tenderness. Things worked out well for them. Woody was still nervous about the future, but they got along.

And then along came Buzz and everything went to hell.

Ah, Woody was never jealous when it came to their relationship but when it came to Andy? It was a whole different story. He was David’s toy and now he was Andy’s. The idea of being second place to his dead owner’s child was unbearable. Bo didn’t worry too much about it. She saw the way that Andy looked at Woody and knew with all her heart that the cowboy could never be replaced.

But then Buzz went out the window and then Woody was holding his arm…

Sure, yeah, it looked bad. It looked really really bad. Woody wasn’t a murderer. In all the years she knew him, it just didn’t have it in him. But it looked bad. Waving around Buzz’s arm had not done Woody any favors. It tore her up to see that. She loved him. How he could ever betray everything that he ever was beyond her imagination. Came moving day, Bo thought she was leaving behind the only toy she ever loved. Of course, the others tried to console her in their own special way.

Ham swore up and down that she could find someone new in a week. Rex brought up the idea that maybe Andy’s mom would buy a Shepherd for her to be with. Mr. Potato Head scoffed at romance as a whole and encouraged her to stand up for herself. How could she? The love of her life was a murderer and stuck at Sid’s house – a place where many toys good and bad had met their doom.

Thankfully, it wasn’t the end for her beau or for Buzz. They worked together, they came together, and they survived what the rest of the room considered a death sentence. She could describe how happy she was to see them both or to see how much her cowboy had changed.

Woody, somehow, became more relaxed. She attributed it to Buzz. Together, he and Woody ran the room which was great. Now that there was a second in command that wasn’t her or had everything fall to Woody, she and him could get away more often. But it wasn’t to be. Despite Buzz’s presence in Andy’s room, everyone still went to Woody.

So much had changed and yet nothing did.


	5. Goals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Every relationship goes through a rough patch sooner or later. Woody and Bo hit theirs.

Bo’s lamp was no longer in Andy’s room. Once they all moved into the new house, Molly got her own room and with that, Bo went with her. She missed being in Andy’s room and seeing all of her friends but despite the distance, she was never far from them. Andy still needed a damsel in distress and with her being his favorite, Bo spent a great deal of time in his bedroom.

Her parts in Andy’s games had some variation. She was the definitive Damsel in Distress. She was the beautiful actress turned secret spy who was running an international scam on the wool market. Once she was a villain who with one touch of her crook could enslave people. Although sometimes, her roles were mundane. Sometimes, she was the one to warn Woody and to pull him away from the brink of doom.

Andy knew her so well. She was proud of him.

But play time never could last forever and she would be placed back to her lamp and dresser. It was Diane who came and got her. Diane had long given up on keeping her from Andy’s hands but she did place her back in Molly’s room when it was nighttime. Once Molly went to bed, Bo would descended from the dresser and do a quick check of the room before turning in for the night. Halfway through her tour, right as she passed Molly’s crib, Bo was pulled into the darkness and into the arms of her Sheriff.

“Woody!”

“I had to see you,” he murmured.

“Woody,” she giggled. “Honey, they’ll hear us...”

“I don’t care.” Woody was relentless with his affection. How good it was to be back in the spotlight of his heart. He knew exactly how to make her go weak in the knees. But all weakness left when one of the Barbies went looking for her.

“Bo? You around?” she called out.

“She isn’t here,” Woody answered back before returning all attention and affection to Bo.

The wandering Barbie gasped and grinned. “I’ll take care of the room tonight.”

Woody had never been so thankful that Barbies were smart and could take a hint. Thank goodness for Barbies. The room would go on fine without Bo for one night. With her lover, she wasn’t one to be outdone. Between kisses, Bo asked, “What’s the occasion?”

Woody groaned a little. Business wasn’t what he had on his mind, but it would be unfair to keep it a secret. “Cowboy Camp is next week.”

Ah, yes, Cowboy Camp. The one week out of the entire year where Woody was gone from the room. So, what was this love fest for? A quickie for his oncoming absence? She pulled away. A scowl was on her face.

“Darling…” Woody began. “I…I haven’t been spending much time with you.”

“I know,” she replied.

He took the hit with grace. “I’m sorry.”

“You always are.”

Woody flinched at little at that one. She couldn’t say that it wasn’t a little enjoyable to outwit him in a little verbal sparring because it was. In words, he was hard to beat. Stunning him into silence was a rarity.

“Honey, darling….” He struggled to find the right words. “Bo,” he settled on. “I’ve screwed up a lot. I’ve made mistakes. But you’re one of the best things I’ve got in my life and I don’t want to lose you.”

He felt it too – that they were slipping away from each other. At least he was self-aware of their dying relationship. It was a small bitter victory to know that he knew but it was better to have him involved than to have him be completely clueless.

“So, cowboy, what do you want to do?”

“Me?”

“Woody, I love you. I always have and I always will, but I can’t be in a relationship with someone who can’t make time for me. Andy is important to you, the guys are important to you, and if you need me to, I will release you from me.”

“NO! No! No, I don’t want that at all!”

“Then what do you want?”

Once more, with devastating accuracy, she silenced him. It took some time but he found his voice. “Bo, I love you.”

“I know you do.” She never doubted his love, just his time management. “But what do you want?”

“You, safety, security, and peace.”

Those were lovely goals but frankly they were unobtainable. Safety for a toy was delicate, security meant always having a kid, and peace? Ha! No such thing for their lives. But for her? She was accessible. It all depended on Woody to make the effort. “What do you want Bo?”

“You, independence, freedom, and peace.”

Again, each were beautiful goals but for a toy they were impossible. But he wasn’t. He was right there in front of her. She could have him any time she wanted. They both knew this.

“I don’t want to lose you,” Woody said.

“Then don’t. Fight for me, Sheriff.”

“I intend to.”


	6. Shelved

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Woody makes an effort, Buzz keeps the peace, and everything comes undone with a single thread.

Woody was as good as gold when he told her that he intended to fight for her. When the morning came, he was right there to help down the dresser. It was an unneeded act but it allowed for some gentle flirting and pleasant sweettalk.

“What’s the occasion?” Bo asked, a coy smile plain upon her face.

“The crippling fear that I could lose the only woman I’ve ever loved.”

“Honey, those aren’t your usual romantic lines,” she said.

“This isn’t our usual situation,” Woody sighed. “I’m sorry I’ve neglected you. I don’t mean to. The guys take up a lot of my time and Andy rarely sets me down for more than a couple of minutes it feels like and –“

She silenced him with a kiss. “I know,” Bo replied when they broke. “It’s hard and it’s tough but how about you show me how much you want to be with me instead of telling me?”

“Can do!” He offered the crook of his arm to her which she gladly took.

The family was out for the day. The toys had full run of the house. Woody and Bo did not head towards Andy’s room to spend their day. Woody knew that if he wanted to show Bo that he wanted to keep their relationship alive, it meant spending some time away from the room. To deter anyone from seeking him out, Woody pulled Buzz aside that morning to talk.

“I need you to handle the room this week,” Woody asked.

“Me? Isn’t Cowboy Camp in a week? You’re usually prepping everyone for when you leave.”

“Yes, usually I do but…” He heaved a heavy sigh. “This stays between you and me, alright? Bo and I aren’t in a good place right now. I haven’t treated her right. Frankly, I’ve treated her awful. I need to be with her before I lose her.”

Buzz shook his head. “How could you lose her? She’s right in Molly’s room.”

“No, not like that, Buzz. I mean, if I don’t shape up, she’ll dump me for someone else.”

“That doesn’t sound like Bo to me.”

“She wouldn’t date right away, maybe take a month or two to herself but have you seen her? She’s funny, smart, she’s beautiful. Any guy in their right mind would be a fool to not want to date her!”

“Woody, I think you’re exaggerating,” Buzz said patting his friend on the back.

“No, I’m not. If anything, I’m under exaggerating. My point is Bo loves me and –“

“Everyone loves you,” he rightfully pointed out. Woody was still the most popular toy in Andy’s bedroom and held the largest piece of their owner’s love.

“Not like Bo. She loved me before I was…” he gestured to himself for lack of a better phrase. It was an impossible task to try and describe Bo and the powerful effect she had on him. She was figurine full of contradictions. Bo was soft yet she was strong willed. She was friendly yet she was one of the snarkiest people he ever knew. Bo was delicate and yet just by using her crook she was a force to be reckoned with. “Whatever. She puts the stars in my eyes.”

“I don’t know that phrase,” said Buzz, shaking his head.

“You’ll know it when you fall in love. So, can you run the room without me? Please?”

“Sure thing, cowboy. You can count on me!” he saluted.

For the next seven days, Buzz ran the room while Woody and Bo stole off to places unknown for some much needed personal time. The room couldn’t help but comment on the absence of their Sheriff and de facto leader. It lead to some concern that perhaps he was feeling ill or stressed. Buzz shut down any comments as fast as he could.

“Even Woody needs a break,” the daring spaceman would say ad nauseum. It was this often said phrase of Buzz that came back to haunt them all. On the day of Cowboy Camp, after a rousing and classic playtime, the undeniable sound of fabric ripping was heard. Woody’s arm was nearly severed. It was hanging on by a literal thread. And then came what felt like a death sentence: Woody was put on a shelf.


	7. Worth and Wishes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bo knows Woody's worth and her own limits.

Everything has an end.

Plants whither, people expire, and toys break. Woody, whose condition and longevity beat out a great deal of toys, was painfully aware that everything must sooner or later end. However, lasting as long as he did and being beloved as he was, the idea that one day he would be eventually cast aside by his child seemed like a far off and very impossible thing. After all, he wasn’t some average everyday toy! He was passed down from the generations, from father to son. That had to count for something, didn’t it?

Apparently not.

Woody was shelved and Andy left for Cowboy Camp without a second thought. All the security, warmth, and love that Woody routinely enjoyed as Andy’s favorite vanished in an instant. As the car drove off, Woody could only think how this was the beginning to the end. His arm was ripped from his body. He couldn’t move it at all. It was dead to the world.

How much longer before it’s the rest of me, Woody worried.

But worries only lasted so long before his natural protective senses returned. Woody wasn’t alone on the shelf. He had Wheezy hidden close by. The poor penguin had been up on the shelf for months. With his squeaker broken, Wheezy was in the same state as Woody: not fit for playtime. Their conversation didn’t last long because of two reasons. The first being that in Wheezy’s state prolonged periods of conversation were taxing and that Diane was having a yard sale.

Woody sounded the alarm and panic ensued. There were toys whose end had come for them in the fate of being sold. It was inevitable, Woody told himself, everything has an end. But when the end came for Wheezy, Woody decided that the inevitable was worth fighting against. He sprang into action, his arm still completely dead to the world and despite the odds, he managed a very shaky rescue. It would have gone better he knew if he had grabbed Bo or Buzz. A lookout was essential in rescue missions but Woody thought that for what he was doing and how spur of the moment it was, that he did very well. But a lookout would have alerted him to what he couldn’t see. Like the little girl who wanted to take him home.

At Andy’s window, the toys fearfully watched as the little girl brought THEIR Sheriff to her mother and begged to take him home. The mother, seeing his arm, tossed Woody aside. She deemed him worthless but the man who heard Woody’s iconic catchphrase knew otherwise. Seeing how giddy he was and how he held Woody as though he was priceless struck fear into everyone’s hearts. For Bo, the panic was almost unbearable. How dare that awful man try to nickel and dime Diane into selling Woody to him? Personally, Bo couldn’t put a price on her cowboy. He was the love of her life. The hours that they shared, the sweet tender moments that made life worth every bit of strain and heartache that came their way, Bo loved Woody beyond words.

And now, with him in the grasp of that awful man, she knew one thing in her heart, after this, no matter what fights they had or the differences that fell upon them, she was going to keep a closer eye on him! Guilt wracked, Bo condemned herself for letting Woody stay on that shelf by himself it wasn’t where he belonged. She knew how to be fine while up so high but it wasn’t natural for Woody. He was a boots on the ground kind of toy.

To Bo’s relief, and everyone else’s as well, Diane refused and rebuffed the eager man’s offers. Diane knew what Woody was worth and it was more than any monetary gain the man could give her. Woody was safe! Bo swore that when he was back in the room, she was going to kiss him senseless. Woody wouldn’t know the difference between his boots and hat when she was done with him.

The romantic rendezvous that Bo planned was gone with the wind. The man, not taking no for an answer, stole Woody. It was Buzz who launched into action to save him. They cheered the spaceman on. Buzz was the best. He could save Woody. He just had to but it wasn’t meant to be. Buzz failed.

As the car sped away, Andy’s room was stunned. Toys were bought and sold but Woody stolen? It felt like the start of a horrible nightmare. Bo’s heart shattered. The love of her life was gone to parts unknown. She was forced to wonder what every toy in Andy’s room wondered.

“Why would someone steal Woody?”

He was a family toy, an heirloom, something that only the family could appreciate. The man that stole him knew nothing of his kindness, or his loyalty, or the great pains he went through to make sure that every toy was safe and taken care of. He couldn’t known of Woody’s sense of humor or the love that he had for her! Bo’s mind raced with possibilities until she came to the only one that made sense. Woody was old but in great condition. He was, for lack of a better word, an antique.

Antiques were worth money.

Woody was valuable.

She kept her theory to herself. The reason why Woody was stolen wasn’t worth the time she could spend on trying to find him. Thankfully, it was an endeavor that all the toys shared in. In the end, it was Buzz who found the identity of the kidnapper and found his location. In a moment’s notice, he assembled a Woody Retrieval Squad and swore to the room, to Wheezy, and to Bo that they would bring their Sheriff back before Andy got home.

It was a sweet sentiment and there wasn’t a doubt in Bo’s mind that Buzz would find him and bring him back safe. However, there was something that she needed to do.

“This is for Woody when you find him.”

The kiss was short and sweet. Hardly anything compared to her usual intensity that sent Woody flustered and blushing but it got Buzz to blush just the same. With well wishes and cries of good luck, Buzz and the toys sent off to find Woody. Her heart ached as they left. Bo found herself wishing, not for the first time, that she wasn’t so…breakable. She longed to join the team to save her love. A part of her would never forget the sunset’s light highlighting her shimmering porcelain body. She was beautiful in the sun but she would have given it all up for the chance to be there with the others to rescue Woody.


	8. Worries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Buzz thinks of Woody and how much he means to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This can be totally read as Prideyear and I encourage it.

Sometimes friendships are formed through years of understanding or shared interests. In Buzz and Woody’s case, their friendship was formed after a death-defying escape from what they all believed to be a toy murder house. It was unconventional but then again, their lives were unconventional. They were toys and they were alive. Their brief time on the planet was either spent being loved by a child or being discarded and destroyed.

It was their sad circle of life.

Buzz considered himself to be among the luckier kinds of toys. He was made out of hard plastic which in their world was practically like being made out of steel. He could fall from great heights, take the harshest of blows, and if one of his limbs did come off, all he had to do was pop it back in. He was practically invincible.

It was a shame that he couldn’t say the same for Woody.

Buzz knew, he knew the moment their arms hooked around each other, that Woody’s arm was caught in his elbow joint. The second Andy pulled them apart, Buzz knew that they were tangled too close to be pulled away safely. The resulting and resounding rip of cloth confirmed his worst fears. It was awful. Still as a statue, Buzz was helpless to do anything. He could only watch, as carefully as he could, as Woody was put up on the shelf.

They were best friends. Closer than anyone else in the world! And now, Woody was broken, placed high upon a shelf.  

There were certain situations that they couldn’t avoid but never in a million years did Buzz ever think that he would be the cause of Woody getting hurt. It was a complete and utter accident. Both he and Woody knew that Andy would never hurt them like Sid did but still, seeing Woody placed up on the shelf was too strange. It shouldn’t have happened but it did.

A lot of strange things were happening.

Woody was on a shelf, then he did a rescue by himself, and now Al from Al’s Toy Barn had spirited him away. Woody was gone. Buzz would never forget the sight of the car driving away with his best friend in the trunk. It was a nightmare come to life. How could they ever hope to find him? And how was he? His arm was damaged, he was taken to a strange place by a strange man, was he okay? Was he hurt?

Of course, he was hurt but –

It didn’t matter now. Woody was gone. He needed a rescue and he needed it fast. And it was up to Buzz to do it. Buzz truly meant it when he said that he couldn’t call himself Woody’s friend if he wasn’t willing to risk his life to bring him back. Woody was his best friend in the entire world. He launched an attack on Sid himself to save him from being blown up.

What was a little walk into the city compared to his best friend’s life?

As he and the others set off, Buzz had one thought on his mind: Rescue Woody. That was all he wanted to do. He knew Woody was strong, he was brave, and he was also a massive idiot who helped anyone who needed it. Hell, it nearly destroyed his relationship with Bo because of it. It made Buzz worry. Woody could handle his personal affairs fine, but he was as soft-hearted as he was smart and he was really smart! He couldn’t leave a toy behind no matter what. It caused the cowboy to extend himself, his time, his efforts, and his well-being into helping out anyone who needed it. It was a small fear that kept Buzz awake but one of these days, Woody was bound to burn himself out. When that happened, when not if, what were they supposed to do? Buzz could run the room fine on his own but it was Woody who held that indescribable magic touch. He was the voice of reason. He could see through the chaos that was their lives. He knew what to do and was usually right.

As he and the others covered another block, Buzz wanted two things: to have his Sheriff be safe and happy. It shouldn’t have been too much to ask for but apparently it was. He couldn’t stop thinking about how excited Al had been to get his hands on Woody. It was creepy and left a sinking feeling in his stomach, if he had one that is. Whatever Al wanted with Woody, it wasn’t good.

All Buzz hoped was that Woody would still be in one piece when they got to him.


	9. Memories Long Since Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Woody panics, plots, and remembers.

 

When Andy played with his toys, there was a general routine to things. Someone, usually Bo, would be in great danger, then someone else, either Woody or Buzz would come to the rescue while the third member of the party, again either Woody or Buzz would do something incredibly heroic to help save the day. It worked for them. It worked for everyone. Then there were times that Andy changed things around. Sometimes it was Buzz who was kidnapped and brainwash, and then other times, it was Woody who was in distress. He would be kidnapped by a dark and malevolent force hellbent on using him to bring his friends to their knees and thus take over the world.

It would take a miracle team, persisting of Bo and Buzz and whoever else wanted to come, to rescue Woody from the clutches of evil. It was always a perilous journey and sometimes, they didn’t find him until it was nearly too late.

Woody, now trapped in a bag and in the trunk of a car, couldn’t help but wonder if this was going to be one of those times. The briefcase kept sliding back and forth in the trunk. It left him too disoriented to get a sense of direction of the path he was on. It felt like they were going straight but then his kidnapper would take a hard left then a hard right….had he doubled back? Woody was lost. There was no sense of direction at all. It was frantic driving and hard turns and going faster than any speeding limit would allow. He was thrown every which way inside the briefcase. His torn arm never allowed him to try and hold onto anything that might have prevented him from being thrown around.

About half way through the drive, Woody gave up and settled for staying down. There was no sense in hurting himself further. It started to sink in for him that he was alone and miles away from his home and loved ones. Being a lost toy was hard enough but being a kidnapped toy? With no idea on where he was going? Woody came to realize that he was never going to see his family again.

“No, stop that! You can’t think like that!” he told himself. “You’ll get out of this. You made it out of Sid’s house, didn’t you? Then you can do this! You can get home. You will get home.”

He would have to. Sheriff Woody Pride didn’t give up. At once, he started to formulate a plan. What did he have? Not much to say the least. No friends, no supplies or weapons, not even the semblance of a poorly made plan. Well, damn it all, he had nothing which meant that he had nothing left to lose. All that mattered was getting home where he belonged. That was it. Nothing would sway him. As soon as the briefcase was put down, he would do a check of the area and then jump into the backpack of the nearest kid. After that, it was just a matter of getting on the street and heading back to Andy’s house. Hell, if it came down to it, he would just walk.

It wasn’t the safest or the fastest route, but it was the most direct.

However, as Woody would find, Al just so happened to live in the one single apartment complex that didn’t let children live there. He also lived in the one damn apartment building that actually kept the screws tight in the ventilation system! With his busted arm, Woody struggled in vain to escape unaware that he was being watched. The trail of packing peanuts led him to a wild horse that was intent on taking him for a ride which afterwards, he was man-handled by a fiery red-head.

The sole voice of reason came in the form of an elderly and portly prospector. Woody would later swear that he had never seen any of them in person or in any way shape or form but seeing the three of them together brought forward faint memories of his earliest of days. He recalled the work bench on which he was created on. Unlike other toys, he didn’t come into life fully built. Instead, only his head was built and then the rest of him followed suit. The face of his creator was old and haggard. The work place that his first owner spent hours perfecting and painting him was small and had very little natural light. There was but a single window near that door that allowed light in. The rest was provided by power lamps. Those days passed by very quickly. Woody’s consciousness slipped in and out while his first owner put him together.

“You’re going to be something very special, Sheriff.” That was the first thing his owner ever said to him. Woody, at the time, never knew what special meant but it felt good to have an owner who thought he was worth something. He never learned his owner’s name. He was just His Owner. Not a child or a young man but a very old gentleman with long bony hands and a very thick gray bushy beard. “Just you wait, Woody, people are going to love you.”

Love did sound nice. If it was what his Owner thought that people were going to love him then he didn’t see a reason why it shouldn’t happen. He would be loved. He just knew it. The years passed in blurs and hazy memories. Whatever people his creator had spoken about had never come to see him. In fact, there were some days in which Woody highly doubted that anyone ever knew he actually existed. Then one day, people started to come by and did sketches of him. They talked an awful lot about him, posed him around, and tried to mimic his voice but they never played with him.

Woody never knew the reason why but those men were part of a team who were designing a new show ‘Woody’s Round-up’. It was up to these artists to create supporting characters for the show. Those sketches that were shown and passed around, it was the first time Woody ever saw his future co-stars. They looked much different now in person. The cowgirl wasn’t the demure figure that the artists had drawn. She was wild and fierce. The prospector had changed some but not by very much. He was still stout but he had lost much of the gentle and dignified air that the artists had given him. He knew them from sketches and the artists talking about them. They knew him from a television show.

His first owner had been right. People had loved him. They loved him so much that they merchandized him.


	10. Heart and History

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Prospector reminisces of the museum, the future, and the history behind Woody's Round-Up.

There was nothing quite like death kissing you softly on the cheek to make you realize how badly you wanted to live. Death for Woody came in the form of his arm coming off and the awful thought that one day, Andy would toss him aside. Woody’s entire world was coming apart at the seam and it made him a delectably easy target for the Prospector to manipulate. He pushed the cowboy towards Jessie, whose tragic backstory was one that few could hear without shedding tears, and with some carefully chosen words in a tone that was suited for a father guiding his son to the light, the Prospector had successfully weaved Woody into his web for immortality.

It was all going according to plan.

The Konishi Toy Museum was heaven for vintage toys. There was no fear of being broken or trashed. Children, as well as adults, could admire them and love them for hours. With Woody, they would be the crown jewel in the museum. The Prospector rested comfortably in his box that for many a year had been his prison. Things were finally coming together. After all these years, he was getting what he deserved: Love. There was little doubt that the cowboy doll that was now his golden ticket to a better life had experienced all the joys that came with having a child play with you but really, when it came down to it, children were awful creatures. They never understood how precious a toy was. Their attention spans were getting shorter every year and, although he had no data to back it up, the Prospector was sure that the little tykes attention spans dropped to nothing the day they took Woody’s Round-Up off the air. It was a grievous mistake. Thankfully, Dr. Elton Horikoshi of the toy museum saw this and single-handedly set out to save every vintage toy from the dark future that awaited every toy when they were no longer loved.

The Prospector had only ever saw photos of the museum but he knew them well enough that he could have walked the halls and rooms blind. How wonderful it would be to roam about and mingle with every other toy of yester-year? His dreamy thoughts were spoiled that even the museum would have some exhibit space dedicated to the meteoric rise of the Space Age toys. However, he consoled himself that maybe their exibit was a small walk-through kind. He knew, deep down, that Woody’s Round-Up would be the star. What other toy had such a glorious beginning or history as Woody’s Round-Up?

It had it’s roots in the Old West, where heroes and villains fought against each other and shaped the American Frontier. It was a time of survival and sheer persistence in which man could make his mark on the West and there was no man alive who could compare to Woodrow “Dead-Eye” Pride. He was a man who had no home and no moral code except for the one that he followed with his heart. A wandered by by nature, when he came into town, no one knew whether he was going to uphold the law or overthrow the government. His unpredictability was what made him a hero and also a danger to the growing conflicts and developing city landscape. By the time the nineteenth century was coming to an end, there was no place for a man like Woodrow “Dead-Eye” Pride.

Pinkertons hunted him down. He was shot and killed and placed in an unmarked grave. His death was justified as an end to a man whose instability and astounding habit to disrupt the peace and order of the world but history would see Woodrow vindicated. The man was years ahead of his time. He advocated for social reform, he fought for women’s rights, and if he did get into a shoot-out or overthrew an established official it was because basic human rights were being violated. For a man who always strived to do the right thing and paid for it with his life, his legend inspired George Davis, the man who would eventually build, write, and produce the first ever humble beginnings of the Woody’s Round-Up show. George Davis would claim that without the timely intervention of Dead-Eye Pride, his family would have never survived the Wild West. Thus, George made it his life’s dream to recreate the same hero he always admired.

The show was stuck in developmental hell for some time. Between personal hardships, the Great Depression and two World Wars, the show was almost never came to light but eventually, in the stunning spring of 1946, the show came to air. George Davis passed away shortly after it’s premiere. It was sad but how the world welcomed Sheriff Woody Pride into their homes. Nostalgia for the days of cowboys and the West made the show a star and with a hero who always did the right thing no matter how much it hurt him, Sheriff Woody Pride became a model for the kids. He was the knight in shining cowboy boots.

But then, as it always was, the end came in the form of the Space Age. Suddenly, no one wanted dusty old cowboys or the West. It was all aliens and Sci-fi. The Prospector scoffed. The Space Age might have had rockets and fancy special effects but Woody’s Round-Up had heart and history.

Nothing could ever take that away from him.

Except for the Woody doll and his pesky friends. How bizarre it was to see a Buzz Lightyear toy in front of him. They didn’t get better with age, that was for sure. For a few moments, there was some minor concern that Woody would abandon them to return to a miserable thankless life with his child but it was for naught. The seed of fear and ending up in the dump had taken root. Woody knew what toys were destined for and he decided to spare himself a painful and eventual grave…..until the damn show started playing and suddenly, Buzz had a friend in Woody.

The cowboy tossed aside all notions of immortality and safety. What was life worth living if it wasn’t with some pain and risk?

All the Prospector’s careful planning meant nothing. Drastic measures had to be taken. If Woody happened to get a little cut up from it or, hell, even a little dismembered then where was the harm in that?


	11. The Return

 

Being made of porcelain had it’s perks. As the singular porcelain doll in the house, Bo was unrivaled in beauty and charm. Diane went out of the way to make sure that she stayed beautiful. She was cleaned regularly, her delicate dress was mended if she caught it on anything, and certain toys, Woody, would melt if she looked at him the right way. Yes, being made of porcelain had it’s perks, but when the love of your life was spirited away to parts unknown Bo would have given anything to be able to venture out as part of the rescue team.

It was frustrating as hell to be stuck in the bedroom while Woody was kidnapped. The other toys, she knew that they meant well, but kind words and endless encouragement meant nothing without action to accompany them. Bo was stuck waiting for news that as far as she knew may never come. As such, she grew moody and grim.

What if they were all lying dead in a ditch somewhere?

What if they needed help?

What if….What if…What if…she was so stressed that all she could think of were the terrible what ifs. The world was a dangerous place for a toy. Safety was in a bedroom, death laid outside in the great big world. Oh, but what a world it was. There was so much to see that one could never see from the four walls that they all knew as home. The perks of being made out of fragile porcelain did not compare to the anguish she felt for not being able to be there for Woody or any of their friends or to be able to do anything. All Bo could do was sit and wait.

The waiting was killing her, she was sure of it. Although she had no heart to speak of and blood did not flow through her, the waiting was slowly working it’s way through her entire body and seizing it up. She would be dead before dawn. As she sat on the nightstand, her thoughts turning from despair to wanting, she heard the distinct scolding of Woody’s voice.

“People are going to notice!”

It was strange that out of all the things she had ever heard Woody say to her, that she would imagine that he was worrying over what the humans might think.

“Parallel parking is hard, Woody!”

No, wait…that was Buzz’s voice. Bo all but leapt down from the nightstand. She bolted to Molly’s door. There, creeping up the stairs with friends in tow, was Woody.

“Honey?”

Woody was stopped mid-rant about how they should have been quiet in the house. He saw Bo, standing in the doorway.

“WOODY!

“BO!”

They hugged each other as if they could be ripped apart at any moment.

“I was so worried –“

“I missed you so –“

“I didn’t think I would see you –“

“I’m sorry I got toy-napped like-“

“I don’t care!” she cried. The tear on his arm was larger than when he first left. “Did he hurt you?!”

“It was my fault. I was with Jessie and my arm ripped open again and –“

“Who’s Jessie?”

Woody turned and gestured behind him. Standing behind Buzz were two new dolls. One was a horse and the other had striking red hair in a braid. Her build, her clothes, everything about her said that she was from the same cloth as Woody.

“This is Jessie.”

“Howdy,” the cowgirl smiled. “And you must be Bo. Woody wouldn’t shut up about you on the way here.”

“Jessie and I met at Al’s apartment.”

“Oh no, were you kidnapped too?” Bo asked.

“I wasn’t kidnapped,” Jessie explained. “I was bought from a donation bin. Bullseye came into the fold about six months later.”

The stuffed horse upon hearing his name came galloping into view. He broke up the tight embrace between Woody and Bo.

“Oh! You have a horse now?”

“Yeah, kinda. He likes Jessie more, I think, but don’t let Bullseye fool you, he’s basically a dog.”

“When did you two meet?”

Woody sighed. “It’s a long story.”


	12. All My Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bo worries, Woody apologizes, & things get better for now

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I was a kid, seeing Woody ready to leave everything behind really bugged me.

Bo was never so happy that she and the toys had the house to themselves. Diane would have heard them for certain the second Woody stepped back into Andy’s room. The room exploded with excitement and relief that everyone made it back home safely. Bo stayed comfortably behind as Woody was swamped by his friends and told them the tale of what happened while he was kidnapped.

On the first telling, Bo could barely stand it. She was so close to losing him because some collector saw his monetary value.

On the second telling, she found herself getting chills at how Woody was nearly dismembered by a mad prospector.

On the third and fourth retellings, Bo couldn’t stand to be in the same room and hear it anymore. She was torn. She loved Woody. She had her cowboy back, safe AND sound, but hearing everything? The kidnapping? The photos being taken? The way that Buzz and everyone were once more holding onto him by a thread? And then there was the whole chasing after an airplane to rescue Jessie, a toy Woody barely knew for literally less than two days.

It was just like him to risk life and limb for a toy like her. Jessie was damaged. Bo didn’t know how but the cowgirl carried some deep scars on her. She needed support. Judging by how she clung to Woody as he showed her around, Bo knew that he was her new support system….just like how he was everyone else’s support system. The way Woody and Jessie interacted, there was definitely something there.

They were siblings.

She saw it in the way that Jessie mocked him and Woody teased her. It was a battle of snark to snark combat. Bo wholeheartedly approved. Jessie was a regular spitefire. She possessed endless energy and enthusiasm where Woody was calm and reserved. They complimented each other perfectly. Bo was envious of Jessie’s gun-ho attitude. She couldn’t muster up that kind of attitude, not after the time she spent worrying about Woody.

He was going to be the death of her.

She couldn’t have fallen in love with a Combat Carl or a Ken doll, noooo, she had to fall in love with him.  He’d lasso her heart and that was it. Bo Peep knew that she could never love anyone as much as she loved Woody. Still, she worried. Bo knew Woody. He was kind, he was considerate, and he would do anything for a toy in need. Al finding him and selling him was one thing but what if there was another collector? Or a crazed Sheriff Woody fan? Or what if one of these days Woody went off on a rescue that he didn’t come back from? Bo escaped to Molly’s vacant room. As much as she loved Woody and the guys, she couldn’t stand to be in the same room as the story was told again. How could she ever enjoy the party when she was worried about the future?

“Bo? Darling?”

She turned and climbing onto her nightstand was her sheriff.

“Hi honey.”

“Bo, what are you doing up here by yourself?”

“I needed some time alone, sweetie.”

“Are you okay?” he pulled her close.

“Woody, you know that I love you, right?”

“Oh no! You’re breaking up with me!”

“No!” she snorted and kissed him. “I love you, but I can’t stand to know how I nearly lost you. What if you didn’t make it off the plane in time?”

“Bo, what happened in Al’s apartment was a fluke. I…I would have come home one way or another.”

“Would you? The idea of living in a museum, being adored by thousands of kids, didn’t appeal to you, at all?”

Woody seemed to shrink under her gaze. He couldn’t lie to her. The idea of the museum was tempting. Being adored was titillating. Not dying because he was getting older was his wildest dream come true.  

“…yes…”

“Were you going to leave me?” she asked.

Honesty was the way to go. “Yes. Out of fear.”

“Woody!”

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry, honey. When Andy tore my arm, all I could think of was how I was one more tear away from being thrown in the trash! I don’t want to die! I thought the museum was my way to safety.”

“And now?”

“I can’t believe that I nearly destroyed all of my relationships out of a panicked idea of self-preservation,” he admitted.

“Woody, things have got to change. You don’t want to die and I don’t want to lose you. Are you going to be here for me and our Andy or are you going to run at the first sign of decay?”

“Bo, I nearly lost everything. I love you. There’s not a force on this earth that can tear me away from you.”

“Do you mean that?”

“With all my heart.”

Woody had a lot of heart to give. She didn’t doubt him for one second.


	13. Right Here, Right Now

Love was a truly miraculous thing. It was seeped into everyday life. Love inspired the greatest books, songs, and films that the world had ever known. It made people brave, vulnerable, mad, but most importantly, it allowed them to connect with others that they held so closely to their hearts.   
There was once a time where Bo thought nothing could sever the bond that she and her Sheriff shared. But under the cold day of light, knowing how close he came to ditching it all for the toy equivalent of immortality, Bo wasn’t so sure she adored him as she once did. She still cared for him naturally, but it wasn’t the same. To say that she had a chip on her shoulder was an understatement. Bo felt like she was made of chips and nicks and cracks.   
How could he?  
How could that damn Sheriff of hers even think about running away from the life that they built together? How many times had he left her embrace to deal with an emergency within the room because it was for the good of the toys? It made her irate. So many times, he preached about being there for Andy and the others, but what about her? What about Bo Peep? She was left alone.   
Honestly, she tried not to think about it much. She really did. Damn it all, things had to change. How could he do that to her? After everything that they went through? After David died, after Sid, after Buzz came, after everything!   
She gave him everything!  
He gave her apologies and heartache.   
Bo had her fill of it all. No more cancelled romantic rendezvous, no more half-hearted apologizes, no more Sheriff Woody. She was done with him. She was done with everything about him! His stupid smile, his beautiful brown eyes, his caring heart….his….Bo sighed. She had it bad. She loved him more than she thought capable. What was this spell he had over her?  
“Miss Bo Peep? Mam?” She turned and saw Jessie nervously stroking her braid.   
“Is everything alright?” her voice was laced with concern.   
“Yeah, kinda….no not really.”  
“What’s wrong? Are you okay? Is everyone being nice to you?”  
“Everyone’s been super to me. It’s actually, it’s Woody.”  
“Oh.” She tried her best to sound like she didn’t care. She was not successful.   
“Miss Peep, he’s been doing that thing where he’s breathing all funny and he’s twitchy and something’s got him riled up.”  
“Oh?”  
“I suspect that it’s got something to do with you and him and Miss Peep.”  
“I appreciate the concern, Jessie, but Woody and I –“  
“You know he only stayed in the apartment cause of what Pete and I said to him, right?”  
“I’m sorry, what?”  
Her eyes downcast, Jessie repeated her tale of woe and sorrow. She left not a single detail out. When she finished her story, she heaved a heavy sigh.   
“He was going to leave,” she uttered. “He was going to exit straight out the vent and the Propsector and I were never going to see him again. Do you know how long I stayed in storage? Years, Miss Peep. I never saw sunlight for years. And then Woody came and the Prospector…do you know what it’s like to have your hopes and dreams suddenly come true? Because that’s what Woody was going to do for us. Because of him, we were all going to go to a better life and place and everything was going to be better.” Jessie scoffed. “I was devastated when Woody said he didn’t want to go. He couldn’t go. He had a family to go home to.”  
“Jessie, please…”  
“No! Let me say my piece! Looking back on it now, he stayed because of what I said and what Pete did. It wasn’t fair. We messed with his mind. We plucked his heartstrings and…”  
“And you played him like a cheap kazoo.”  
Jessie winced. She shared the pained look that Woody had whenever he did something that he deeply regretted. “Please don’t blame him. He would have never gone if it wasn’t for us.”  
“You didn’t make him go,” Bo replied. “That was his decision and his decision along.”  
“He had help,” Jessie insisted. “Please, please Miss Peep. Go easy on him.”  
“Jessie, I… I deeply appreciate your concern. I truly do, but what happens to Woody and I is,” she sighed and shook her head. “We have history. We have love. If we have a future, it remains to be seen.”  
Jessie shrunk under Bo’s gaze. “I’m sorry if I intruded. I didn’t mean –“  
“You have done nothing of the sort. Thank you.”  
“For what?”  
“For reminding me that I have business with Woody.”  
She winced again and quietly left the room. Bo simmered in her rage. This needlessly complicated things. Why? Why did life have to be so complicated? If she was any other woman in the world, she would be out of here in a heartbeat but Woody….  
It always came down to him.   
She would have no more of this nonsense. She was leaving tonight and she would tell that damn Sheriff of hers exactly what she thought of him. 

In the dark of the night, Bo sneaked into Andy’s room. She silently searched for what would be her former lover but to no avail. Woody was gone without a trace. Bo scowled and cursed. The one time she went to search for him and he wasn’t where he always was! Bo returned to Molly’s room only to find a certain sheriff waiting for her.  
“Woody,” she greeted.  
“Bo,” he nodded. He radiated a nervous energy that could have outshined the sun.   
“Woody, hon, whatever you’re going to say, say it now.”  
“Jessie told me about her little talk with you.”  
Bo nodded. “She did.” She shifted her weight from one foot to another. “Is there any reason you left it out when you told me about your kidnapping?”  
Woody shrugged. “It didn’t seem to matter.”  
“It didn’t seem to matter?! You were going to leave me and then you come back an-and instead of giving me all the information, you! YOU! You…you didn’t tell me.” She felt like she was falling. Was it possible to break while having both feet on the ground? “Why?”  
“I was going to leave! I was in the box to Japan, honey. Who cared what the reasons were?”  
“I DO! You don’t get to make the choice whether I break up with you or not! That’s my choice to make. Why didn’t you tell me about Jessie or Pete?”  
“I don’t know. It didn’t seem important at the time.”  
“It is important, Woody! It makes a hell of a lot more sense that you would leave me because you had your heartstrings plucked then just because of sheer selfishness!”  
He couldn’t make eye-contact with her. She approached him and sighed. “Don’t you have anything to say to me?”  
“I’m sorry.”  
“Not that,” she rolled her eyes.   
“I love you, Bo,” Woody answered and she knew that he meant it.  
“No more surprises, cowboy.” Bo whispered into his chest. “Whatever happens, no matter what happens, we have to be honest with each other. Right now, right here, I need to know what do you want?”  
“To be with you until I fall apart at the seams. What about you?”  
“To be with you until I’m more glue than porcelain,” she laughed.   
“That doesn’t sound too bad of a future,” he said swaying with her in the dark.


	14. Gone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> People come and people go. The toys experience the go part more often than they like to admit.

They planned on forever.

No matter what would come their way, whatever disaster threatened to tear them apart, they were going to be a team and get through it. Woody and Bo! Bo and Woody! Whatever came, they would face it head on! Together! Because that’s how it was meant to be. Even as the years went by, watching as their friends were thrown away or donated, together they kept the rooms in order. Never once did it ever cross Woody’s mind that out of all the toys and childhood tokens that Bo, his lovely Bo, would be on the list.

How wrong he was.

It all happened on a perfect summer’s day. Andy had picked out Woody to go on the last Cowboy Camp outing. While he was gone, Mrs. Davis went on a cleaning spree. Broken toys, outgrown clothes and baby books were picked up with little regard. Andy’s toys, what remained, breathed a sigh of relief. They survived another year. And yet, just as she turned to leave the room, Mrs. Davis spotted Bo Peep on the floor, once more away from her lamp.

What happened next, was not done out of carelessness or without thought. Bo Peep had been outgrown. Her children no longer required the pink and blue doll. Mrs. Davis collected Bo, her sheep, and the lamp. Andy’s toys watched in silent horror as Bo was taken away. They had faith, however, that as soon as Mrs. Davis’ back was turned, she would sneak back into the house. Somehow, someway, she would return.

Their hopes were dashed as they heard the unmistakable sound of porcelain shattering.

If toys could cry, they would have. The first toy to move was Jessie. She nearly rushed out of Andy’s room to secure what pieces were left.

“You can’t!” Buzz said, holding her back.

“I’m not leaving her down there!”

“Mrs. Davis will know you’ve moved,” he shook his head. “Jessie, I want to help, but we can’t. It’s too risky. I’m sorry.”

“Not as sorry as Woody is going to be.”

The space toy faltered. Never before had he experienced such regret and fear. “Oh no, Woody.”

Even if he had a million years with the best writers in the world, Buzz knew that he would never be able to break the news to his best friend in a way that wouldn’t hurt.  


	15. On the Window

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Woody takes the news as well as anyone could have expected

 

In Andy’s room, the number of toys were dwindling. As a growing boy, Andy didn’t need his playthings as much. It was always hard for the toys when they lost a friend. It was never easy, but with Woody at the helm, things were mended and the mourning of the lost was done just a tad easier. Woody had a way with words and thoughts and feelings. He knew what to do, how to react, and how to help to give each toy the peace that they needed.

But no one knew how to help him or how to even tell him about Bo.

It was decided that Jessie and Buzz, as the second commands, would tell him, though how, they hadn’t a clue. Ultimately, it wasn’t up to them. When Andy arrived home that afternoon, his mother stopped him.

“Be careful, sweetie,” she said. “I dropped the lamp and some pieces may be on the ground.”

“Which lamp?”

“The Bo Peep lamp.”

All Andy responded with was a simple, “Oh, okay.”

That was it. The entire sum of a Bo’s existence and death was done in ‘Oh, okay’. The toys were on pins and needles as Andy returned and brought Woody back to the room. The cowboy, to his credit, never broke his façade. They waited and waited until it was okay to move. The minutes turned to hours until nightfall came. When everyone could move again, Woody the only toy to remain motionless.

“Woody?” Buzz asked, not sure how to approach him. “Cowboy?”

“….she’s gone, Buzz…” he croaked.

The space ranger sat down next to him. “I’m sorry.”

What more could be said for a life lost, a love gone, and a friend completely broken. Buzz stayed by Woody’s side for the rest of the night. He didn’t care that Andy would notice that he wasn’t where he was originally put. His friend was in pain and he would be by Woody’s side to infinity and beyond.

 

For the days following Bo’s death, an indescribable sense of loss hovered through the room. Woody was not himself. For hours he would stare out into the window, seemingly looking at everything and nothing at the same time. Words could not stir him. Nothing could be said that could help the pain that he felt. It was worrisome to see him disconnected from the world.

“When do you think he’ll snap out of it?” Slinky asked the room.

Jessie shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. I’ve never seen him like this. Buzz?”

“I haven’t, but I –“

“I can still hear, you know,” said Woody from his spot. “I’m okay, guys.”

“No you’re not!” Jessie snapped. “You’re not okay.”  She climbed to the window and sat in front of him. “Woody, I love you, but you’re not okay.”

“I am,” he insisted. “I am okay for now.”

“For now?” Buzz asked.

“I miss her. I will always miss her. Nothing will ever change that. But I can’t…I’m not ready to go back to where I was.”

“Where you were was here. Don’t you want to come back to us?”

“I don’t know if I can be the person that you guys need me to be. I’m sad. I’m hurt. I’m angry and I feel so guilty! I feel like I’m drowning in my own emotions! She was alone when she died! We knew it was a possibility, hell, any of us can die, but she was alone! She had no one! Bo died alone. I promised that I would always be there for her and the one time that she needed me, I….”

A hurricane of pain and anger came forward.

“I hate this place! I see her everywhere. I remember everything we did together. I want her back and I want to leave. But I can’t because…Andy is my kid. He’s my kid. He’ll always be my kid and how could I even think about abandoning him? I feel awful all the time. I don’t know what to do. Everything seems like it’s going to keep getting worse.”

“It won’t!” Buzz protested. “Bo may be gone, but you’ve still got us, Sheriff!”

“For how much longer? Anyone can die, Buzz. You, me, Jessie….Bo….We’re all going to die sometime.”

“Then we should make the most of the time we have together now,” Jessie answered. “I hate seeing you like this, Woody. I don’t know what will happen in the future or when we’re going to die. You’ve got us till then though. So, whatever you need, however long you need to be out here, that’s fine. We’ll still be waiting for you at the end of the day.”


	16. A Shepherdess

The life of a nursery lamp was not a glamorous one and for one without her lamp or her sheep, the life of Bo Peep seemed like it was doom to end in a trash heap or dump. The moment that Mrs. Davis slipped; Bo was certain that she was done for. It was just like the first time she fell, except that there wasn’t a brave and handsome Sheriff waiting at the bottom to rescue her. Bo saw her lamp shatter below and her sheep, each brave and loyal, turn into a million tiny pieces. She was next as she hurtled downwards...and yet, it was not meant to be. Mrs. Davis may have tripped over her own two feet, but she had quick hands and saved Bo from the terrible death of being shattered. But her journey did not end there, Bo Peep found herself being packaged away from the home, the life, and the toy that she had known since she awoke. 

“No!” 

She pushed her way to the back of the cardboard box. Through the handles, she watched her entire world disappear. Everything she ever knew was gone. There was some hope that a rescue would be mounted. This was Woody she was talking about! Woody who would risk life and limb for any toy in need. Surely, he would come for her, right? 

No matter what, he would find her and bring her back to the room. 

Woody did not come and find her when she arrived at an antique store. He did not rescue her when she was donated to the consignment store, and he did not make an appearance when she was sent to the thrift store. Finally, her knight in shining stuffing did not show for a daring last-minute rescue when she was picked up aged hands of Ms. Doris Weatherly. 

“Aren’t you a lovely thing?” she cooed at the porcelain figure. 

Bo didn’t think so. Her condition had taken a dive since she left the David household. Her lips had faded, her rosy cheeks had wilted, and her hair appeared gray under the unflattering light. Bo thought she looked ugly, but Ms. Doris Weatherly saw beyond all that. She purchased Bo without a second thought and brought her to her brother, a toy restorer by trade, and had him fix her up. 

“Isn’t she a darling?” Doris gushed. “How lovely she is! How stunning her eyes!” 

“The little lady has been through the rough,” Grei sneered. “People do not have any respect for works of art anymore. 

Her rouge was restored, her lips were as dewy as a spring day, and her blonde hair now shined like the sun. She was a beauty to all that saw her, but none more so than Doris. She thought a figurine like Bo deserved special spot in her home of fine porcelain dolls. In the living room, in the center for all to see, Bo was placed on the highest spot with a spotlight to shine upon her. 

In the entire house, Bo was the star attraction. She was surrounded by antiques and trinkets and lovely things. She was admired by all for whomever was Doris’ favorite was the room’s favorite. It was a position that she held for a day, then for a few weeks, and for months on end. Where other dolls were came and went as favorites, Bo remained the supreme favorite of the land. 

The dolls and figures were not as bad asAs the years passed, the dolls grew accustomed to Bo’s position and many tried to sway her and woo her, she was unmoved. A small glimmer of hope remained that one day she would see her cowboy again. There would be days when everything was sunny and bright and the clouds lazily rolled by that she would think of him and wonder if he was thinking of her. 

“Mademoiselle Peep!” a deep husky voice called out to her. 

Bo rose from her spot in the living room and gazed downward onto the floor where another figurine was waiting for her. She could barely resist rolling her eyes at the figurine dressed in Versailles attire. Claude de Sartre was one of the older figures that Doris possessed. In her home, he was a long-time favorite as he was a historically accurate version of King Louis the XIII. His looks were the only thing that he shared with the famous dead king. As one of Doris’ favorites, his ego had swelled to an unmanageable degree. Although he was but a figurine, he took his status as a “king” to new heights with each and every passing day. Haughty and unbearable, Claude strutted through the living room as though he owned the place. 

“What Claude?” Bo held back a sigh. 

“Refer to me by my birthright, Mademoiselle Peep. As your king, you should know this by now.” 

It had been years since he first told her to address him as her king. She never called him your majesty, not once. 

“What Claude?” she asked again, her voice lightly laced with malice. 

“I have come to you, my cherie, to ask the question that so many would love to be asked by me.” 

“No,” Bo answered. 

“You did not give me a chance to ask!” admonished Claude. 

“Did it involve a proposal of marriage?” 

“But, of course it did!” 

Bo glared from her lofty perch. “Claude, you ask me the same question every day since I got here and every day I give you the same answer. I am not interested, not now and not ever. Go ask someone who wants to be with you.” 

“But I am a King! And does Madam Weatherly not call you a Queen?” 

“She calls me a lot of things.” 

“Yes, she does! A jewel, a vision, a queen above all!” Claude announced to the assembly in the living room. “And are you not all of those things?” 

“I am a Shepherdess,” Bo responded. 

“Without a flock, mademoiselle. But by my side you could herd the home.” 

“I decline.” 

“Madamoiselle Peep,” Claude begged. “Allow me to grace you with my presence.” 

“No thank you.” 

He did not heed her words. With a dozen or so help from his servants and footmen, the caricature of King Louis the XIII was able to climb to the coveted spot where Bo wa stationed. 

“Ah, Madamoiselle, you are truly a vision.” He reached over to embrace her which she sidestepped. 

“Remember our talk about personal space?” she asked, her eyes like daggers. 

“You do not want me?” 

“It’s not you,” Bo shrugged. “It’s me.” 

“I am a King! I have everything to offer you. Why not me? If not me then who? You will not do better than me and what’s more I am -” 

Claude ranted and raved and Bo stopped listening. She had heard the same petty arguments for what felt like an eternity. Every damn day, Claude would ask her and she would refuse. She watched as he stormed about and her mind turned to more romantic thoughts and a much more romantic toy. She thought of Woody and wondered if he still thought of her.


	17. Kidnapped

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woody reminisces and an old foe returns,

There were days that when the sky was a perfect shade of blue and the clouds floated by at such a gentle pace that his mind inevitably turned to thoughts of Bo Peep. It had been years since their last meeting before her untimely death. He couldn’t help but think of how he would have done everything differently. If Andy hadn’t picked him up, if he was there for her when she was falling to her death. He’d caught her once, who was to say that he wouldn’t catch her again?

Ah, but it was hopeless to think of all the things that might have been. It didn’t change the fact that she was gone. The past was the past and it was in his past that Woody found himself revisiting at an alarming rate. Bo, Andy, and every other toy that they hadn’t been able to save over the years…Woody shook his head. Now was not the time to be concerned with regrets. That was in the past and in the now, he was doing fine. Bonnie was a great imaginative kid. She loved her toys and while he may not have been the favorite anymore, he certainly held a soft spot in her heart. 

He and his friends would be safe with Bonnie until she outgrew them and then? Woody pondered silently. Maybe Andy would have children or be planning for children by that point. He might take them back and then they would get to see an entire new generation rise up before their eyes. It would be good to be back in a nursery again. His mind wandered to Bo and her lamp. How she shined on even on the darkest and stormiest nights. She was a pillar of strength that he couldn’t help but admire. Her kindness and levelheadedness, her sweetness and grace…Bo was a once in a lifetime toy. He considered himself lucky to have known her.

“Penny for your thoughts, Sheriff?” asked. Mr. Pricklepants from the other side of the car. Bonnie and her mother had gone shopping and Bonnie decided that there was no one better to protect the car but Woody and Pricklepants.

“Oh, just thinking.”

“Good thoughts?”

Woody smiled sadly. “The best.”

“Ah, let me guess, the daring hero is thinking of his lost Lenore. The woman who got away.”

“It’s nothing…kinda like that.” Was it that obvious he was still pining for her? “Her name was Bo.”

“Another member of the wild west? A dancer? Or was she was out of this world?” he asked, his eyes glittering with untangling the story of the mysterious Bo.

“No, no she wasn’t a space toy or a wild west toy. She was, uh, she was a lamp.”

“A lamp? Why Sheriff I thought you would have gone for someone more soft and –“

“Bo was soft, she was…,” he sighed deeply. “Ah, she was everything. She could have had any toy in the room. I don’t know what she saw in me.” 

“I seem to recall Jessie saying that you and she were rare toys?”

“Hmm? Oh, that, yeah. I’m from an old television show and –“

“So you do have acting experience!” Mr. Pricklepants exclaimed. “I knew it! Tell me, what was your finest part?”

Woody shook his head. “Not like that. I was just…merchandise.”

Because that’s what he was. In the eyes of every collector, he was a piece of merchandise to place on a shelf or like the notorious Al of Al’s Toy Barn, he was something that could be sold for a ridiculous amount of money. Woody endeavored to not think of Al or spend much time on the man who ripped him away from his home. He was a person who didn’t warrant an iota of thought and yet, the man had waited years for a Sheriff Woody doll to sell. He couldn’t help but wonder if he had actually found another Sheriff to send off to that toy museum in Japan. He frankly doubted it. As long as he had been around, which if he was right in his math, made him over 70 year-old, he had never seen another one. Were there any others left around? He didn’t know, but surely if there weren’t, Al would have given up the ghost. 

Ah, but it was in this thinking that Woody was completely and utterly wrong. 

Al was totally obsessed with the fortune that had nearly been his. Even eight years later, he prowled online looking for a replacement for the doll that had slipped through his fingers. Hours upon hours he spent searching relentlessly. He went looking through old toy orders, the production company that handled the dolls, old die-hard fans of the show. He overturned every rock in order to find one, but Sheriff Woody dolls were impossibly rare. As it currently stood, Al had a better shot at becoming for president, marrying Miss Universe, and becoming an astronaut. And yet, despite the odds, Al stumbled onto a photo. 

It was of a daycare center, with a dozen or so children standing out front. The boys and girls smiled brightly for their class photo, some holding toys in their arms. One little girl on the far right was holding a Sheriff Woody doll. 

He screamed and celebrated wildly that night! At last! After years of searching there was one right in his area! It wasn’t hard to track down where the little girl lived. Parents, and unfortunately their children, had their lives online. There were hundreds of photos to use to find out where they lived. He was able to find their house in a matter of hours. Once they were located, it was a matter of waiting. 

While there wasn’t a single thing that Al wasn’t willing to do in order to get that Sheriff Woody doll, he drew the line at getting arrested.

So, he waited and he waited and waited for that perfect moment when that little girl would leave the doll out, like so many children did, and snatched the toy before anyone was the wiser. To his dismay, Bonnie kept a tight grip on Woody. She always brought him in and never left him alone. Al’s patience was waning. But finally, Bonnie had left Woody in the car.

Well, the car was far away from any pesky cameras and there weren’t any people around…it was an opportune moment. Looking as natural as possible, Al walked over to the car and saw his prized target. Using a slim-jim, the car lock gave way with ease and in the backseat, Al reached over and grabbed the Woody doll.

For Woody, who was no stranger to kidnapping, he knew it was Al long before he heard his voice or saw him. The second Al wrapped his hands around his body, Woody knew. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the time to tell Pricklepants who it was or where he was probably going to be held or any information at all, as during the kidnapping the stuffed hedgehog was knocked below the seat and never saw Al’s face at all. In a flash, Woody once more found himself being spirited away from his child, but he wasn’t as nearly as worried as he was the first time. He had experience now and with experience came – Al had throw him into a tightly seal bag and threw that bag into a briefcase and that briefcase was now in the front seat of Al’s car which was now driving directly to the airport. 

Now Woody started to panic. 

Okay, it might take some time to break out but he was making due. The bag was starting to give a little and he could escape from a briefcase now that his arm wasn’t ripped, and surely – The briefcase opened suddenly and Woody remained perfectly still. He was brought out into the glaring lights of what looked like the airport. 

“See this? SEE THIS?” Al shouted at a startled woman. “This toy is worth more than what you will make in your entire life!”

“Well, sir, we have plenty of protective cases for it and um –“

Al dug through his pockets and slammed two one-hundred-dollar bills down. “I’ll take the best one that you’ve got! And hurry!”

The case that Al bought was meant for people or persons who were carrying objects so valuable that they weren’t going to let them out of their sight. Al had two cases. The first was the green case which fitted to Woody’s exact dimensions and the second was the newly bought one. Al put Woody into the green case and locked with not one but several locks and then put it into the second one which he then handcuffed to his wrist.

Woody, despite everything, still fought to escape. He fought from the second he was placed in the case, from the moment that Al bought the plane ticket, to the moment that Al was seated on the plane. It was impossible to move in the case, but he never stopped thinking on how to escape and return home. But when the plane took off, a deep sense of despair swallowed Woody whole. This was going to be hard.


	18. Set

If there was one thing that Bo Peep knew above all, it was that nothing lasts forever. Not love, not admiration, not hope, and certainly not life. Miss Doris Weatherly was getting older, moving slower, until one day, she was rushed to a hospital. The days in the Doris Household were coming to an end. For all the figurines, it was a shock. What would happen to them when their lovely matron passed? Who would take care of them? Love them? Protect them from ruin? Claude de Sartre took the mantle of leading his people through this difficult time.

“Ladies and gentlemen, please,” he tried to calm the crowd. “I assure you that I will not be thrown away.”

Claude’s approach was mainly centered upon himself with little to no regard for the others who were panicking.

“We are beloved. We are beautiful.” Claude pushed his message onto all those who would listen. “Who in their right mind would throw us out?”

The obvious answer was someone who found no value in pretty porcelain. As Miss Weatherly took a turn for the worse, the dark news came to light. Her things were to be divided as her brother saw fit. Mr. Geri, who cared nothing for the hundreds of knock-offs that his sister collected, decided that whatever was of worth was to be sold, what was sentimental to Doris to be handed down the family line, and everything else was to be donated.

A week after she passed, the movers were inside the house.

They were a big brutish gang who didn’t know the first thing about handling porcelain or the finer things in life. The poor porcelain dolls were at their mercy. On the first day, no less than a dozen figures met their end. Claude de Sartre saw his final opportunity to whisk Bo away to his side. He had clambered up onto Bo’s spot, once more proclaiming that he loved her.

“It will be you and I, my love. It’s now or never,” he whispered to her. “I am the most beloved figurine here. I can protect you. If you hook your arm around mine, they will never part us.”

“Parting isn’t the worse thing that could happen to a figurine.”

Claude sneered. “With a more ladylike attitude, you could have been a queen. You will never survive out in that world again, Miss Peep. You will be like a lamb to the slaughter.”

“I’m the only figurine here that has any idea what the real world is like,” she fired back.

“You refuse me still?”

“I’m sorry, Claude but it’s never going to happen between us,” spoke Bo in a voice that wasn’t sorry at all. “I don’t love you. I never have and I never will.”

“Then you have chosen death,” he huffed. “Any moment now the movers will come back and you will be carted away to your doom.”

As cold as ice, Bo smiled, “I look forward to it.”

The movers came and once more like raging bulls, they destroyed the delicate figurines. In this sweep, no less then ten were shattered and Claude was right in the mess of it. He toppled from Bo’s stand. She watched him fall, his face registering the horror that awaited him. He crashed to the floor, his pieces scattering everywhere. Mr. Geri, overseeing everything, came in and shooed the movers away. The figurines may have been worthless, but they still meant a great deal to his sister and he could no longer abide by the senseless destruction that the movers brought. When the movers had left, the Mr. Geri took a seat next to Bo’s stand and started as many people do, talking to an inanimate object when they were dressed.

“People today don’t have any respect for delicate things, do they Little Shepherdess? No, they do not. Look at the mess! All this needs to be cleaned up! And who gets left with it all? Me! That’s who! Do these movers…these bulls? Do they take the time to consider what would happen if they were to break everything? A bunch of useless ugly thugs that’s what they are. Honestly, it’s all a mess. And I’ve seen messes, Little Shepherdess. I make my living by cleaning up other people’s mistakes. I restore toys.”

This piqued Bo’s interest and she stayed perfectly still and charming. Mr. Geri pulled out his phone, his photos showcasing his greatest work.

“This is what I do.”

A hundred toys formerly battered and bruised were shown to her. All of them were restored to their former glory. But one photo in particular caught her attention. Bo held back the tiniest of gasps. A cowboy, her cowboy, was staring back at her. He was in a glass case in a museum. The name made her want to jump: Konishi Toy Museum.

“He was a hard one, Little Shepherdess, but he’s in good hands now.”

He was in good hands? Bo wanted to laugh! The only good hands Woody should have been in were her’s! There was no doubt that the handsome cowboy doll staring back at her was her cowboy. Mr. Geri might have done some fabulous work, but she recognized that telltale stitching back when Woody lost his arm. She saw the slight burn mark on his forehead from when Sid burned him. It was him! After all this time! Her heart soared with delight and crashed with despair. He was all the way in Japan. That was quite a stretch for anyone to traverse let alone a toy.

However, Bo began to think.

She looked all around her and below where Claude still remained in pieces. There wasn’t much of a future for porcelain. She was going to be shattered one way or another. Why shouldn’t she be shattered in the arms of the only toy she ever loved? It was set. Bo Peep was going to head off to Japan.


End file.
